One hundred years into the future, Humanity discovers the secret of interstellar travel. With time and tenacity, we spread beyond the confines of the Solar System. We discover we are not alone, and that there is more to existence than what meets the eye with the mysterious advent of psionics. Thanks to these new powers, technology evolves in a way that was before never thought possible.

Alas, such success shatters when what will come to be known as The Scream devastates Human and Alien star empires alike. Those gifted with the psychic talent are stripped of their sanity. Technology that relies on psionics suddenly stops working, and the colonies that depend on it must find a new way to survive or perish.

Six hundred years later, Humanity begins to regain a few scraps of its former power. The origins of The Scream are still unknown, and there are those who fear it could happen again. Nevertheless, there are those who see this as the time to explore the stars once more.

The year is 3200. The Terra Firma and her crew are those who seek out the secrets of the stars. This is their story.

This is the OOC thread for the SWN game I am running for my tabletop friends.

Things to read in order to get in the mood: Classic sci-fi, Isaac Asimov, Kim Stanley Robinson, Richard K. Morgan, Philip K. Dick, Diane Carey (Star Trek: Best Destiny for her take on early space travel and the Fabrini)

One of the biggest issues for me in any pbp game is legibility, and starting off with posting conventions can nip a lot of these problems in the bud. It helps me a lot if I can differentiate what the I as the reader know, and what I as the GM/NPCs know. Please stick with the following rules. I don't think that I'll need to come up with something else, but that's what "edit post" buttons are for... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Names: Please embolden the names of people (ex: Ezri Khatar) and italicize the name of ships (ex: Terra Firma).

Dialogue: Please use the 00FFFF blue color like so:

"Well, you can just go get shrieked!"

Commlink: Please use the courier new font and FFFF00 yellow color like so.

Starting Level: 5Stats: Roll 7 sets of 4d6. Drop the lowest die in each roll, and drop the lowest set. Reroll until you are happy.Training Packages: If you choose the adventuring training package for your class, then you gain an extra 2 class skills. This gives you the same number of skills as the other training packages.Starting Cash: 45,000 credits. Keep in mind that having some extra credits around might come in handy...

Movement: PCs can move 30 meters per move action.

Listing Gear: Readied, stowed, and stored

[ Spoiler ]

Make sure to split up your gear into readied, stowed, and stored. Remember, you can have 1/2 your strength score rounded down in readied item encumbrance and your strength score in stowed item encumbrance. Armor counts as a readied item. Stored items are things not carried on your person.

Advanced Ship Hulls: Mark X Designs

[ Spoiler ]

Advanced ship hulls work on the Mark X system, where X stands for rank and runs from 1 to 4. Each rank adds 1 Power, 2 Free Mass, and 1/2 Hard Point to the hull. Each rank costs 100k. All fractions of hardpoints are rounded down. Multiply the stats by 1 for fighter hulls, 2 for frigate hulls, 4 for cruiser hulls, and 8 for capital hulls. Multiply the cost by 1 for fighter hulls, 10 for frigate hulls, 20 for cruiser hulls, and 40 for capital hulls.

For example, a Mark 2 Fighter would have 2 extra power, 4 extra free mass, and 1 extra hard point. It would also cost 200k more credits than a base fighter hull. A Mark 4 Cruiser would have 16 extra power, 32 extra free mass, and 8 extra hard points. It would also cost 8m more than the base hull.

You can pay to upgrade a ship to a higher Mark rating at the cost of the difference in rating. If you wanted to upgrade the Mark 2 fighter hull to a Mark 3 fighter hull, it would cost 100k credits (300k - 200k). Upgrades take time, and do not take into account materials, labor, etc.

Looting/Salvage: Diminishing returns

[ Spoiler ]

The GM section of the book basically says that the game system isn't meant for strip-looting everything you find. Shot up suits of armor from dead thugs and fried nav computers from disabled ships are nearly worthless. The idea is to get your credits from working gigs and exploring.

That being said, feel free to grab ammo or upgrades to your supplies. If you manage to shoot down a thug using a Nightfall Combine Shear Rifle, grab it!

Psitech: TL 4 Versions

[ Spoiler ]

The secrets of the Terran Mandate's psitech disappeared from public knowledge with the ensuing chaos of The Scream. Thanks to hoarding Scavenger Fleets and Post-Scream anti-Psychic movements (most have died down), Humanity has had to literally reinvent the technology. You can get a "Tech Level 4" version at 1/4 of the price (1/2 for metafocal grenades). Please keep in mind that you have at least 2 levels in the proper discipline to use the item.

Mindblades (Telepathy): TL4 versions have a base +1 to hit and 1d3, and the choice to either increase to hit +1 or increase the die step to 1d4Metafocal grenades (Precognition): TL4 versions have a base 2d4 damageMetastasis projectors (Biopsionics): TL4 versions have a base 2d4 damage and 20/40 range, with the choice to increase the base damage to 1d10 or the range to 25/50 (this version is still highly illegal, and outlawed on most worlds like the TL5 version)Telekinetic sling (Telekinesis): TL4 versions have a base +1 to hit and 1d8 damage, and the choice to either increase to hit +1 or increase the die step to 1d10.

I'm going this route with psitech because I'm treating full TL5 psitech like other TL5 items and artifacts. You can find them, and I encourage you to look for them because I imagine it would make for a fun story hook.

Translator Torc: Universal Translator

[ Spoiler ]

A universal translator runs off of similar technology to the translator torc, and a mainstay for any explorer crews. The translator requires 1d4 minutes to analyze the alien language before it can determine a rudimentary translation. This works for gesture, spoken, or written based languages.

Item / Cost / Encumbrance / TechUniversal Translator / 2,000 / 1 / 4

New Martial Art Styles:

[ Spoiler ]

Amyugi Style

[ Spoiler ]

This psychic style was originally developed by a religious order. It’s students where taught to defend themselves but found their training ultimately left them ill-equipped to engage in normal hand to hand training and combat. The iihkawa’s or companions focused their psychic potential into Telepathy and Precognition so they set out to create a style where they could draw on those strengths and protect themselves. The result was Amyugi or unity, which trains the practitioner to develop a deep and intuitive bond with their attackers. Through this unity they are able to avoid strike and with mastery of the style even gently counter their attackers with little harm to themselves.

This style requires at least as many levels of the Telepathy and Precognition discipline as the character has Combat/Amyugi Style levels, with a minimum of 1 level of Telepathy and Precognition. Psychics can learn this style as if it were a class skill. All unarmed attacks with Amyugi Style use either Wisdom or Constitution as the ruling modifier for hit and damage, rather than Strength or Dexterity.

Weapon Groups: Unarmed

Level 0 Novice: The novice’s unarmed strikes do 1d6 damage. This damage done by this style is non-lethal and a victim reduced to 0 hit points is either unconscious for 1d4 minutes or helplessly restrained by the martial artist, at the artist’s discretion.

Level 1 Intermediate: The psychic can feel the impending aggressive maneuvers of an enemy and focus on countering them. The martial artist may accept a penalty to their attack rolls in exchange for an equal bonus to their AC, up to a maximum penalty/bonus equal to their Combat/Amyugi skill. The AC penalty applies until the start of the martial artist’s next turn.

Level 2 Master: The master’s strikes do 1d10 unarmed damage. The martial artist may give up his attack for the round to fall into a defensive stance where the psychic listens to their thoughts and see possible outcomes, forcing a -2 hit penalty for their attackers within melee range. If an attacker strikes at them in this stance and misses, the martial artist may make a free counterattack. The artist can make as many of these counterattacks in one round as they have levels in Combat/Amyugi Style.

BioBorn into one of the farther out worlds, her planet was one of the last to be reconnected after the scream. With little to add to society in terms of wealth, her planet, while technically connected, suffered stigma from being poor.Her psionic talent started early, she was able to practice practical jokes without anyone seeing her enter or leave, or even touch her intended target. Even as remote as her world was, her psionic ability was noticed. Unfortunately it was noticed by a group of bandits who kidnapped her and forced her to help them. Eventually she started to sympathize with them. Yet before she could join them willingly they were attacked by the Government. As the ship crashed into a planet she was rescued. Though her distrust and desire to go home was obvious, her powers made the Solar alliance not want to leave her alone. In her mind trading one set of captors for another. When they docked at a planet, she was able to escape by teleporting from one ship to another until she lost any pursuers. Now without any particular destination in mind, she travels looking for a purpose in life, and well bounty hunting will work until a better purpose comes along. She will do anything for the crew of Tera Firma, but due to her past she distrusts authority, and outsiders until proven they can be trusted.

Alice's general order of priorities is on a station/planet are: 1. Shopping for exotic clothes, and things for the ship if necessary2. having a few drinks, enjoying good food and listening to people tell stories3. poke around for interesting new things to see4. looking for things other's in her family (the crew of Terra Firma) would need/want

Bio:A deeply spiritual woman and born on one of the lost worlds where some training for psychics has resurfaced but wrapped in layers of mysticism and religion. She is an iihkawa or companion. Identified at an early age to possess the blessings needed for this calling she was trained to use her gifts to heal and ease the suffering of those around her. While at temple she was taught how to defend herself, social customs, and taught to observe people in detail to better assist them along their path in this life. The religion is built around the idea that the original psychics that brought about the Scream are born into each generation and these vessels carrying them must work to bring this souls redemption by using their powers to serve humanity. They are taught to seek a balance with the soul within them and reach unity with it. Not every vessel can reach that level of bonding and awareness so many are driven mad in the process. Upon completing her training and being deemed a worthy host for the soul within her, she decided to leave her homeworld and venture out amongst the stars. She believes she must bring her gifts to other worlds and begin healing the injuries out there amongst the other worlds affected by the Scream. She travels aboard the Terra Firma, doing her work where she can and assisting the crew in exchange for board and passage to other worlds.

The Terra Firma's specs are up. Everything is from the core book, but let me know if you want me to swap anything. I left out the armory because you are a free merchant ship, and not part of a sector defense force.

I didn't really look through the starship maintenance rules during the one-shot. The credits issue? That's solved with keeping the ship stocked and running like new.

Also, Ezri will be a lvl 4 expert NPC (she'll either stay there or 1-2 levels below the group depending on what you need). Once I know the group's skill sets, I'll pick choose her skills. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Almost a throwback to a bygone era, Sereth is a man of honor, which is sometimes a benefit, and sometimes a drawback in the business they're in. Not above donning a disguise to track down a target, he nevertheless always attempts to keep his word, and he prizes exploration and freedom above all. Of the group, he's the first to get restless on a new spacestation, though he'll lose himself for hours exploring a planet after they'd completed a job nearby. Always 'one more system over' or 'but the ruins on this planet!', he still seems to revel in the act of exploring, as empty as the space between the stars might be. Well-read on a variety of topics, he is the quintessential jack-of-all-trades, and relishes encountering new groups or cultures as part of their work. He's the voice of mercy when a frustrated team is considering the 'or dead' portion of the payment option, though he's the first to recommend putting down a person that's betrayed an oath or a sworn belief, or taken action against those he would consider defenseless. He's rarely seen without his thermal pistol (Emmie) strapped at his waist, and he claims it's a pretech Artifact Colonial Arms, as opposed to a more recent knock-off, though nobody's managed to study the item in detail.

Sereth's general order of priorities is on a station/planet are: 1. Getting the ship refitted/repaired/supplied2. Finding work3. Info about local pre-Scream ruins, etc.4. Local sports or physical competitions

So those sound like good questions except for the fact I haven't read one line about ships or anything about them yet - sorry. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif) Has anyone else does some reading and could answer for the group?

Before I read the ship stuff, how important is the ship going to be? Is it going to be there and break down as a plot device a la Firefly, or do we actually plan on having combat on board and between ships?

Unlike ships in Eclipse Phase (I'm using this as the example because it's the other sci fi system we played), ships in Stars Without Numbers ships play a big role in the adventure. This is especially true if the ship is yours. Space travel is dangerous. If you want to jump from system to system, you need to make a nav roll for your spike drive drill. If you are successful then you get there. If you aren't then there is the possibility of your ship being stranded, disabled, and in dire need of help. Combat happens. You might not plan to board other ships, but if a hostile ship gets the jump on you then their crew might board you. Also, shit happens. If you run into an "Other" style alien species, your ship's spike drive might be that species' prime rib.

The Terra Firma is a pretty solid (and expensive) ship as she is, and should be more than a match for most ships in her class. I am leaving it to you the PCs to make payroll/maintenance, buy repair materials, and supplies (see p.70). She's at 100% condition right now, but has no repair materials stocked. [Edit---The FIC is gone because I flipped the power and free mass stats]

I'm not planning on making the ship break down on you as a plot device. The maintenance rules say I should make her break down at the worst possible times, but I'll probably just roll percentiles to see if and when it happens. If you are very diligent with expensive maintenance, the possibility of breakdown will stay low.

Basically, you should read the ship rules if you want to plan ahead. Think of the ship more akin to Star Wars and the Millenium Falcon. It will work as long as you put the credits into it, and make sure it gets proper maintenance. That being said, if you jump into a system where there are space pirates, hostile aliens, odd spatial phenomena, etc., you might have a few more issues... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

I flubbed up on the ship (flipped the extra power and free mass), so I've got to make some changes. The Fractal Impact Charges, Class 3 Spike Drive, and Cold Sleep tubes had to go. You'll have a Class 2 drive, a Sandthrower, and a extended life support and cargo space increase.

I also made a few adjustments to the character sheet template. I forgot to include the Tech save (good catch, Buddha!), as well as a Cyberware section.

Edit: I also have Ezri mostly built. Once I find out more about the group's skills, I'll choose her last two skills. Depending on what you want, she can be a well-rounded nav officer/guide, or she can be highly focused in one area.

@ Buddha: Cool. I'll take a look at it soon. Also, armor actually counts as a readied item (p.33). It's kind of funky, but that's the system. Are you wearing it, or is it stowed?

@ Lain: Cool, thanks for putting it up the character. Do you still want the mindblade? You need to have at least 2 levels in telepathy in order to use a mindblade (p.39). Otherwise, it's just an expensive cylinder. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) Also, you can't wear armor with a vacc suit (p.42). Do you just want to stow it?

@ Everybody: It's probably a good idea to pick up a backpack because you'll need a place to put your stowed stuff. It's cheap, it's a readied item with 0 Encumbrance, and it's the only thing I have seen that allows you to store items.

I'm actually going to withdraw from this thread for the time being. There's a bunch of stuff (home improvements, exchange students etc) that is going to be eating up my time for the next few months. I'll try and jump in around September when everything stabilizes back to normal routines.

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